How ride when breaking-in your new engine

I asked Tom G. some questions about breaking-in the new engine and this is what I learned (answers in all caps):

1) Do I also need to rev through the ranges of 1,2,3,4 gears while riding?
IT IS NOT STRICTLY NECESSARY -- YOU SHOULD SHIFT BASED ON RIDING CONDITIONS. RIDE IN THE GEAR APPROPRIATE TO YOUR SPEED AND THE TERRAIN. MY RULE OF THUMB IS SHIFT AT OR BEFORE 3/4 THROTTLE -- NEVER REVV OVER 3/5 THROTTLE IN ANY GEAR DURING BREAK-IN. BUT DON'T LET THE MOTOR LABOR TOO HARD. IF IT IS STRUGGLING IN ANY GEAR, DOWNSHIFT TO BRING THE REVS UP A BIT.

2) Do I need to avoid hills?
NOT REALLY. FOLLOW THE DON'T LET THE MOTOR LABOR TOO HARD RULE. RIDE UP HILLS IN AN APPROPRIATE GEAR. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH HILLS MIGHT BE LONG DOWNHILLS. THERE IS A TENDENCY TO KEEP THE THROTTLE TOO LOW AND COAST, USING THE RPMS TO BRAKE THE SPEED. RESIST THIS. YOU NEED GAS IN THE CYLINDER TO KEEP IT LUBRICATED. ON LONG DOWNHILLS, BLIP THE THROTTLE PERIODICALLY TO INTRODUCE SOME GAS AND OIL INTO THE SYSTEM. THIS DOES NOT ONLY APPLY TO BREAKIN, BUT IS IMPORTANT DURING BREAKIN.

3) How many miles should I ride until it is broken in?
EXPERTS DISAGREE. I SAY A MINIMUM OF 400 MILES. I THINK THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAYS 1200 MILES. SOME PEOPLE SAY 1 TANK OF GAS.

4) Do I need to shift through all the gears, ie 3 and 4 (if so I need to ride some where I can pick up speed)?

SEE ABOVE.

Another ride and what's left

Rode the scoot over to Paul Sachelari's house this evening to figure the electrical and misc. stuff out.

May I say . . . "watch out wheelie!!"

Paul suspects that the clutch needs to be rebuilt (not uncommon I just learned for even brand new repro clutches; though we have stock). It shifts ugly in 1st. Terrible sound. There is also a grinding sound that needs to be determined. When the bike is pushed, not running, you can hear it. The electrical needs to be looked at. The horn worked before, but now nothing seems to be working. Paul also says it does not sound good when its running and needs to be tuned accordingly.

Bottom line is it may not be ready in time for AmeriVespa, which is a BIG bummer for Lisa and me. Most importantly, we are grateful to Paul for helping us out on the last steps of the Vespa and for diagnosing the problems for us.

More to follow . . .

Delay

The handle on my 2nd all metal fuel lever spun off the rod. I lightly sanded and JB Weld it. Should know in 24 hours if it took. Very disappointed and I don't think I can trust JB Weld to last a long long time. The JB Weld worked on the 1st metal lever, but I accidently broke one of the two prongs that connect to the fuel cock.